The 2024-25 college basketball season is the start of a new era for the Kentucky Wildcats. Mark Pope, an alum of the program and former head coach of the BYU Cougars is taking over the same position for John Calipari.

After 15 seasons with the Wildcats, he has taken over the head coaching position with their SEC rivals, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Naturally, things will look a lot different with Pope leading the show than it has been in recent history under Calipari. Things will be getting started in just about a month with the team’s Blue-White scrimmage.

It is an event that Pope is excited to be a part of again.

“Yeah, I’m so excited about this,” Pope said during a recent appearance on Kentucky Sports Radio last week. “This is just our regularly scheduled practice. It’s going to be – what’s going to happen is we’re going to scrimmage. Like, we’re going to live scrimmage. In fact, I think it’s going to be the first time the public will be able to see us live scrimmage for a full game where BBN will be able to see that. It’s going to be really exciting.

“We’re going to compete,” Pope continued. “Like, it’s going to be game-speed, full-intensity kind of pride, guts, blood and sweat on the floor scrimmage where our guys are trying to prove themselves. Like, we have a lot of guys who are going to be trying to earn time, earn positions, learn how to play with each other.”

Going all-out in that fashion for a team scrimmage is going to give fans a first-hand look at the revamped squad. Nine players are not returning to the team from last season, whether it be graduation, heading to the NBA or transferring.

At least 12 new players are on the roster as Pope got to work in the transfer portal. Some of his biggest additions are Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Koby Brea and Kerr Kriisa.

In a unique twist to the long-standing scrimmage, the players are going to benefit greatly. Club Blue, the NIL collective at the school, will take proceeds from the Blue-White game to benefit it. Also, the event will be held inside the newly-renovated Memorial Coliseum,an on-campus arena.

“Club Blue is just taking this normal practice and they’ve turned it into this incredible event,” Pope said. “I think it’s going to be pretty epic. I’m really excited about all the things that we’re hearing that Club Blue is going to do around this.

“Club Blue is a linchpin organization in the future of Kentucky Basketball. Like, in this new environment, what Club Blue is doing to allow us to compete? I cannot overstate its importance,” Pope continued. “It’s quintessentially important to everything we’re doing. So the fact that we get to partner with them on this? They’re building this incredible event around our practice that’s going to be super cool.”

Freshening up Big Blue Madness is something that fans have been looking for in recent years. The changes that Pope has talked about is just the start of that process.